Premature menopause: Why it happens and what you can do about it

Apr 29, 2008 1:39 PM by Sarah Wassner Flynn

Posted in Health & Wellness / Women's Health

Menopause In
Younger Women

It is a fact that all women will go through menopause at some point during their lives, usually after the age of 45. But a small percentage - about 1 in every 100 women between the ages of 30 to 39 and 1 in every 1000 women ages 15 to 29 - will start to experience the symptoms of menopause earlier. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done to reverse premature menopause (if it happens before the age of 45) or early menopause (before 40) from occurring. But there are ways to treat its symptoms. Even better, there is hope for early menopausal women who want to have children. Read on to find out more.

Early Menopause

WHY MENOPAUSE OCCURS IN YOUNGER WOMEN

There are a variety of reasons why you may enter menopause earlier in life. Sometimes, the cause may be linked to your genetic makeup or your past. Some women are just born with very few eggs, and if your mom went into menopause early, chances are, you will, too.

Other culprits include premature ovarian failure (POF) — when a woman's ovaries stop producing eggs and the hormones needed to ovulate — which is almost always linked to autoimmune disorders. Surgical menopause (the deliberate forcing of menopause due to health reasons like endometriosis or ovarian cancer), cancer treatments like chemotherapy or radiation, eating disorders, and infections of the ovaries are also possible causes of early or premature menopause.

KNOW THE SYMPTOMS OF MENOPAUSE

The symptoms of menopause are the same across the board, regardless of age. Irregular periods, hot flashes, night sweats, lack of sexual drive, irritability, painful sex and vaginal dryness stand out as the most common signs. However, some women may continue to have normal periods with no symptoms and do not find out that they are menopausal until they have trouble conceiving. Regular checkups and pelvic exams with an OB/GYN are therefore important, especially for younger women who plan to eventually get pregnant.

HOW TO TREAT EARLY MENOPAUSE

The standard treatment for early menopause is hormone therapy, which gives your body a boost of estrogen, progesterone or both. These hormones also enable the uterus to support a possible pregnancy. Other doctors may prescribe a combined oral contraceptive pill (COC), containing both estrogen and progesterone, which may also help prevent osteoporosis and brittle bonesâ€”a common concern among menopausal women. To determine the best treatment for you, talk with your doctor.

HOPE FOR PREGNANCY DESPITE MENOPAUSE

Even though premature menopause basically tricks your body into thinking it can no longer reproduce, some women are able to successfully conceive despite the odds. There are a variety of fertility treatments available, including certain medications and in vitro fertilization, or a woman can opt to go with a donor egg.

Additionally, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has proven to be an aid in younger women achieving pregnancy despite premature menopause. In fact, the added boost of estrogen and progesterone are said to give women up to a 50 percent chance of becoming pregnant. Otherwise, the chance of becoming pregnant is less than 10 percent. Read more about HRT at MedlinePlus.

If you think there is a chance you are entering early menopause, consult your doctor right away, as you may also be at an increased risk for other health problems, including osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

For additional details and support, visit Earlymenopause.com and the American Pregnancy Association. And for more information on menopause, visit Natural remedies for menopause.

Comments

Comments on "Premature menopause: Why it happens and what you can do about it"

@Hulai, excessive bleeding or bleeding out may be as a result of thin lining of the walls. When ovaries produces eggs, these eggs fall, scrape the walls of the uterus and therefore blood is produced. However, when the wall is too thin, there would be more bleeding. Sometime in 2006, i treated a woman with premature menopause. she didnt see her menstruation for a long time. I use combination of fruits and other vitamins. After 5weeks of treatment, every issue was solved. Don't underestimate the power of fruits and vegetables.

I am currently 29, almost 30. My period use to last 5 days, and almost for about a year it abruptly change to lasting only 2 days. Could I be going through early menopause? I was once told that if women do not have children early in life that they can go into early menopause. Is that true? What age would that be at? I have had no pregnancies. My mother recently went through the change at the age of 51.

I am currently 29, almost 30. No children, no pregnancies. My period used to last 5 days, and recently in the past year it has abruptly changed to 2 days. Could I be going into premature menopause? Someone once told me that if women don't have children early on that they could experience premature menopause. Is that true? And if so what age? My mother recently went through the change at age 51.

I wonder if you can help. I am a 48 year old who is going through her menopause. For a while I did not seem my period for three months, thinking it all over but it all started while I was on hoilday and it lasted for two weeks. Since then in the last three months I have been having my period every months and it being lasting for over two weeks and it has been very heavy.Beofre all this started, I use to have my period last for five days or seven days but never this long. On the 23 May I started seeing my period again but this time it lasted for three weeks and stopped for two days and started again but worse than the last time, the bleeding is ver heavy and I feeling as if I am bleeding out. I have arranged to see the doctor because It being going for over four weeks and I am very worried. Can you advised. With regards Hulai

My 18 year old girl friend is experiencing early menopause due to her genetics, and I was wondering, will she be able to get pregnant at all..

My Dad died when I was 32.I haven't had a period since.The Dr. said I went thru emotional menopause.